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biting off more than he can chew?

When I give my son solids to self-feed (say, potatoes, chicken, carrots or beans), he tends to stuff it way back into his mouth and chew on them with the two teeth on his lower gums. Sometimes he succeeds in biting off a big chunk, which I promptly remove from his mouth for fear of choking.

What is the "right" thing to do? I don't want to give him mushed up food as he seems to enjoy a bit of texture right now.

Any advice?

Caylen Koen Chew (25/05/06) Lost No.2 in Aug 2008 ... Lost No. 3 in May 2009 Hoping for another ... Enjoying No.1

Re: biting off more than he can chew?

Now that DD actually puts food in her mouth (rather than just smooshing it up) I give her bite-sized pieces. That way, even if she does shove it waaay into her mouth, it's not too much for her. Of course, that doesn't stop her from shoving 5 of those bite sized pieces into her cakehole...she has terrible table manners

Re: biting off more than he can chew?

Originally Posted by dorothy

When I give my son solids to self-feed (say, potatoes, chicken, carrots or beans), he tends to stuff it way back into his mouth and chew on them with the two teeth on his lower gums. Sometimes he succeeds in biting off a big chunk, which I promptly remove from his mouth for fear of choking.

What is the "right" thing to do? I don't want to give him mushed up food as he seems to enjoy a bit of texture right now.

Any advice?

You should make sure that the pieces are not wide enough to block the airway. So that even if bitten off they can be sucessfully swallowed. Choking is caused by the airway being blocked. The "standard" I used initially in baby led solids was the width of banana thirds. The way it splits naturally at the seams. These are a good standard because even if pushed back, they will be swallowed. Your baby can swallow food. The Gagging isn't choking. You shouldn't stick your fingers in your babies mouth to retrieve food. You run the risk of actually lodging something that wasn't lodged by doing this. However, gagging is a completely normal reaction of a baby learning to handle solid food. It allows them to gage what they are ready to swallow on their own. And if they aren't ready for whatever reason, it comes back up. I know it's scary and hard but try to just let him work it out on his own. HTH!

Re: biting off more than he can chew?

Thanks for all the helpful replies. I am sorry, but I am still confused about something: If I want baby to self-feed, I can't give him bite-sized pieces. Because then the only way he can hold the food is in his fist, and he still doesn't know how to get at the food inside the fist!

Caylen Koen Chew (25/05/06) Lost No.2 in Aug 2008 ... Lost No. 3 in May 2009 Hoping for another ... Enjoying No.1

Re: biting off more than he can chew?

Hi - When we first started, I would give my DS pieces big enough to grasp in his fist but not so big that it would block his airway. I was nervous at first but it didn't take long to see that DS was very able to control what he was getting and if it was too big for him his gagging reflex would kick in. The only foods he has really gagged on are watermelon and cantelope because he stuffs so much in his mouth because he loves it so much . Once your little one get's older you'll be able to give him bite sized pieces, when he has mastered his pincer grasp and is able to pick them up. Have fun!

Re: biting off more than he can chew?

My daughter liked the mesh feeders that Target and Babies R Us sells. You can put just about anything in there and they can hold it themselves and chew it up and suck on it. Worked great for my little one until I knew she knew how to chew things properly.
This is what I am talking about in case I didn't explain myself properly.
We put alot of frozen fruits in it. http://www.onestepahead.com/jump.jsp...755&change=117

Re: biting off more than he can chew?

And Although I think the mesh feeder is great for Mama milk Pops, I don't recommend it for eating solids if you doing the baby led approach. It defeats the purpose of learning to self feed.

I did it for months, and my little girl never had any problems with feeding herself. She'd play with the food in the mesh feeder just as if it weren't. It was still quite messy and fun for her, but alot safer imo. She now is too old for it, and self feeds like a pro.

Mamma milk pops... I never though of that. Sounds fun!
Maybe if I do that I won't get fussed at for not giving her popsicles.